Violin bow guide



Feb. 28, 1967 s. u. PHILLIPS 3,306,150

VIOLIN BOW GUIDE Filed Feb. 23. 1966 INVENTOR.

filenm/UPh/ill' s ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,306,150 VIOLIN BOW GUIDE Glenn U. Phillips, 422 Indiana Ave., McDonald, @hio 44437 Filed Feb. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 529,405 2 Claims. (Cl. 84283) The invention relates to attachments for violins, viol-as, cellos and similar string instruments played with a bow, and more particularly for a device especially useful for beginners to properly guide the bow upon the strings.

It is known that attempts have been made to provide attachments for use by beginners for guiding the bow upon the strings of a violin or similar instrument. However, in all but one case, such devices only provide a stop to prevent the bow from running down onto the fingerboard. The only such device which provided a stop for preventing the bow from running up over the bridge required that the violin (or other instrument) be muted in order to use the attachment, which was connected to a conventional mute mounted upon the bridge.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an at tachment for guiding the bow of a violin or similar string instrument, which may be quickly and easily attached to or detached from the fingerboard of the instrument.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an attachment which will prevent the bow from running up over the bridge or down onto the fingerboard of the violin.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character referred to having spring fingers for clamping upon the upper end portion of the fingerboard and having an upright stop adjacent to the upper end of the fingerboard, a substantially horizontal leg located below the strings of the violin and an upright stop at the end of said leg, located adjacent to the bridge of the violin.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of this type formed from a single piece of slightly resilient material such as Plexiglas, plastic materials, spring metal and the like.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and following description, or which may be laterreferred to, may be attained by constructing the improved violin bow guide in the manner hereinafter described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In general terms the invention may be briefly described as comprising an attachment formed of slightly flexible plastic material, such as Plexiglas, having an inverted, substantially U-shaped portion, the depending spring fingers of which are adapted to clamp upon opposite side edges of the fingerboard of a violin or similar instrument at a point near the upper end thereof.

An angularly disposed leg extends from said U-shaped portion below the strings of the violin or the like, and is located longitudinally relative to the strings, the end thereof being disposed upwardly between the strings to a point thereabove providing a stop post.

Thus, the U-shaped portion of the attachment provides a stop to prevent the bow from passing down over the fingerboard and the upwardly disposed end of said leg provides a stop post for preventing the bow from passing up over the bridge of the violin or other instrument. No portion of the device contacts the bridge of the instrument while in use, so that it is not necessary to mute the instrument in order to use the bow guiding device.

In the accompany drawing showing preferred embodiments of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a violin showing a bow guide embodying the invention attached to the fingerboard thereof;

3,306,150 Patented Feb. 28, 1967 FIG. 2 is a front or top elevation of a violin, on a smaller scale, provided with the improved bow guide;

FIG. 3 is a detached perspective view of a preferred form of the 'bow guide to which the invention pertains; and

FIG. 4 is a detached perspective view of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the invention as illustrated in the drawing, the bow guide embodying the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as attached to a violin comprising the back 1, sides 2, front or top 3, neck 4, fingerboard 5, bridge 6, and tail piece 7.

The usual strings 8 are each connected at one end to the tail piece 7, the other end of each string being wound upon a peg 9 in the scroll 10 at the end of the neck 4 of the violin, as in conventional violin construction. Also, as in usual and well known manner, the strings 8 are stretched over the bridge 6, at a point between the opposed ends of the fingerboard 5 and tail piece 7.

In playing a violin, the bow, indicated in cross section at 11 in FIG. 1, is drawn across the strings 8, by the right hand while the strings are stopped at desired points on the fingerboard by the fingers of the other hand.

To obtain the proper sounds, the how should be drawn across the strings between the bridge 6 and the adjacent end of the fingerboard 5. Furthermore, regardless of the sound, it is considered very improper for a violinist to allow the bow to slide down on the strings over the fingerboard. It is usually difiicult for beginners learning to play the vio in to keep the bow in the proper location, between these two points, when drawing it over the strings.

On the contrary, it is often quite customary for a beginner to pass the bow down On the strings over the fingerboard, or up on the strings above the bridge emitting sounds which are other than musical, as well as giving a very bad exhibition.

The present invention comprises a bow guide, indicated generally at 12 in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, which may be easily and readily attached to or removed from a violin or sim1lar instrument to guide the boW in the proper path across the strings.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 3, a preferred form of the improved bow guide is shown. This device may be formed in a single piece from a suitably resilient or springy material, which may be a plastic material, preferably Plexiglas or the like.

The bow guide 12 comprises a substantially inverted U-shaped portion 13 having depending spring-like or resilient fingers 14 with the attaching claws 15 at their lower ends, adapted to be spring clamped upon opposite side edges of the fingerboard 5, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The cross bar 16 of the U-shaped portion of the device is oifset to one side of said U-shaped portion by means of the curved upper ends 17 of the fingers 14.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the bow guide 12 is mounted on the fingerboard 5 with the cross bar 16 thereof offset toward the bridge 6 of the violin. Depending from the center of the cross bar 16 is the angularly disposed integral leg 18 which extends down to a point below the strings 8, then substantially horizontally as indicated at 19, and terminates in the upright stop post 20, which extends Well above the strings adjacent to the bridge.

With the bow guide 12 attached to the violin as above described, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it will guide the bow properly across the strings 8 between the bridge 6 and the upper end of the fingerboard 5.

The cross bar 16 and depending leg portion 18 form a stop to prevent the how 11 from passing down over the fingerboard 5, and the upright stop post 20 prevents the bow from passing up above the bridge.

It will be obvious that the bow guide 12 is supported entirely upon the fingerboard of the violin, with no part thereof contacting the bridge 6, so that there is no tendency to mute the tone of the violin when the bow guide is attached thereto.

It will also be seen that the bow guide does not in any way interfere with conventional operation of the violin when in use thereon, and that it may be easily and readily attached to or removed from the instrument.

While the improved bow guide is illustrated and described as for use on a violin, it should be understood that it is equally applicable to violas, cellos and similar stringed instruments which are played by drawing a bow across the strings thereof.

In FIG. 4 is shown a modification of the bow guide. While the drawing shows this form of the invention made of wire having a certain amount of resilience, such as spring steel, it may be made in this shape from any suitable resilient or springy material.

The bow guide shown in FIG. 4 is generally indicated at 12a, and comprises the substantially inverted U-shaped portion 13a with dependent spring fingers 14a each having an attaching claw 15a at its lower end. The claw 15a on one finger has an extension 15b to substantially the center of the device with integral longitudinal leg 19a having the upright stop post 20a at its end.

This bow guide may be easily and readily attached to the violin by clamping the attaching claws 15a upon opposite side edges of the fingerboard of the violin.

The longitudinal portion 19a of the leg will extend below the strings 8, centrally thereof, and the upright stop post 20a will be located adjacent to the bridge 6, forming a stop to prevent the bow from passing up over the bridge, while the U-shaped portion 13a will form a stop to prevent the bow from passing down over the fingerboard.

In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of exam ple, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful construction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for guiding a bow of a violin-like instrument having strings stretched along a fingerboard and over a bridge spaced from the end of the fingerboard, said device being formed of one piece of slightly springlike material and comprising an inverted U-shaped portion having depending fiat spring fingers and an integral cross bar, said fingers having opposed attaching claws at their lower ends for clamping upon opposite side edges of the fingerboard near the end thereof, the upper ends of said fingers being curved away from the fingerboard so that the cross bar of the U-shaped portion will be located beyond the end of the fingerboard, a depending integral fiat leg extending downward from the center of the cross bar of the U-shaped portion and having a longitudinal portion adapted to be located below the strings of the instrument, the end of said leg extending upward above the strings at a point near the bridge, the flat surfaces of said depending leg and the upwardly extending end thereof providing stops to prevent the bow from passing down over the fingerboard and upward over the bridge.

2. A device for guiding a bow of a violin-like instrument as defined in claim 1, in which the cross bar of the U-shaped portion is flat and is located in an upright plane disposed at right angles to the upright planes in which the fingers of the U-shaped portion are located.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,192,030 7/1916 Ashley 84-283 1,603,371 10/1926 Zahn 84-283 3,107,568 10/1963 La Porte 84-283 3,169,438 2/1965 Belcher 84-283 FOREIGN PATENTS 519,204 2/1931 Germany.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

C. M. OVERBEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR GUIDING A BOW OF A VIOLIN-LIKE INSTRUMENT HAVING STRINGS STRETCHED ALONG A FINGERBOARD AND OVER A BRIDGE SPACED FROM THE END OF THE FINGERBOARD, SAID DEVICE BEING FORMED OF ONE PIECE OF SLIGHTLY SPRINGLIKE MATERIAL AND COMPRISING AN INVERTED U-SHAPED PORTION HAVING DEPENDING FLAT SPRING FINGERS AND AN INTEGRAL CROSS BAR, SAID FINGERS HAVING OPPOSED ATTACHING CLAWS AT THEIR LOWER ENDS FOR CLAMPING UPON OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OF THE FINGERBOARD NEAR THE END THEREOF, THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID FINGERS BEING CURVED AWAY FROM THE FINGERBOARD SO THAT THE CROSS BAR OF THE U-SHAPED PORTION WILL BE LOCATED BEYOND THE END OF THE FINGERBOARD, A DEPENDING INTEGRAL FLAT LEG EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM THE CENTER OF THE CROSS BAR OF THE U-SHAPED PORTION AND HAVING A LONGITUDINAL PORTION ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED BELOW THE STRINGS OF THE INSTRUMENT, THE END OF SAID LEG EXTENDING UPWARD ABOVE THE STRINGS AT A POINT NEAR THE BRIDGE, THE FLAT SURFACES OF SAID DEPENDING LEG AND THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING END THEREOF PROVIDING STOPS TO PREVENT THE BOW FROM PASSING DOWN OVER THE FINGERBOARD AND UPWARD OVER THE BRIDGE. 